Introduction

Expectations of Four-Year Olds

At the age of four, children begin to test and feel their power. They like climbing apparatus, ladders, boards, and building blocks to release energy as well as learn. They enjoy dramatic play, excursions to explore their environment, books, stories, and talking.

 Four is not an easy age for children. They are considerably more powerful than at the age of three; language is developing very rapidly; time sense is increasing; and they can identify with a larger social group. They are self-sufficient in many of their personal needs. This leads many adults to think they can perform on a high level at all times. When they retreat temporarily to needing help, or when they are suddenly defiant, it may be that they are exhibiting a persistent need to experiment and test others. At four they have not learned all they need to know about the ways of their own world, or about other children or adults.

 The four to five year old seeks to satisfy curiosity through a discovery process. A school learning environment allows the freedom and materials to provide for individual and group learning. Every effort will be made to provide opportunities to create, explore, discover, and experiment through the children’s own experiences to enable them to find their own unique place in the world.